FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., Nov. 3 (UPI) — A former chief executive of Walmart was hospitalized Tuesday, along with three others, after the single engine plane he was piloting suffered an oil pressure problem and landed on an Arkansas street, officials said.
Authorities said William S. Simon was in the plane with two other passengers when they departed the airport in Fayetteville, Ark., en route to Waco, Texas Tuesday morning.
Shortly after takeoff, the oil pressure problem surfaced, CNBC reported. Simon attempted to return to the airport but was unable, officials said.
Instead, Simon lined up the aircraft to land on a Fayetteville street and deployed the emergency parachute for a slow landing.
The aircraft, a single-engine Cirrus SR22T, hit a pickup truck on the street, officials said. In all, four people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries — Simon, his two passengers and the driver of the pickup truck.
Investigators from the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were dispatched to Fayetteville Tuesday, 5 News reported. Officials were required to leave the plane on the street until the investigators arrived.
Simon served as the President and CEO of Walmart U.S. and Executive Vice President of Walmart Stores, Inc., between 2010 and 2014.
